Editing Bolometer (section)

== Applications in particle physics ==

The term bolometer is also used in [[particle physics]] to designate an unconventional [[particle detector]]. They use the same principle described above. The bolometers are sensitive not only to light but to every form of energy.
The operating principle is similar to that of a [[calorimeter]] in [[thermodynamics]]. However, the approximations, [[cryogenics|ultra low temperature]], and the different purpose of the device make the operational use rather different. In the [[jargon]] of high energy physics, these devices are not called "calorimeters", since this term is already used for a different type of detector (see [[Calorimeter (particle physics)|Calorimeter]]). Their use as particle detectors was proposed from the beginning of the 20th century, but the first regular, though pioneering, use was only in the 1980s because of the difficulty associated with cooling and operating a system at [[cryogenic|cryogenic temperature]]. They can still be considered to be at the developmental stage.